Lithotripsy is a medical procedure involving the physical disruption of a hardened mass within a body cavity, such as kidney stones, gallstones, pancreatic stones, or the like. In such procedures, an energy source is typically applied to the hardened mass. Different energy sources can be used, such as electric, hydraulic, laser, mechanical, ultrasound, or the like. Laser lithotripsy is based on the fact that pulsed light energy may be converted into a mechanical energy in the form of a cavitation bubble associated with the occurrence of shock-wave. This mechanical energy is responsible for the disruption of the hardened mass.
A common problem with lithotripsy procedures is that the body cavity is may be polluted by particles disrupted from the hardened mass. For stone-like masses, these particles may be referred to as “stone dust.” In laser lithography procedures, this stone dust may hinder visualization of the mass, which prevents the physician from pulsing the laser in the most efficient manner. Fluid may be injected into the body cavity so that a portion of the stone dust will naturally drain out of the body cavity with the fluid. Waiting for the fluid and dust to drain out of the body cavity can be very time consuming, often requiring the physician to prolong the procedure. More fluid may be added to promote drainage, but this may even further prolong the procedure by necessitating the repeated replacement of saline bags.